


Serving Smiles

by CelesteFitzgerald



Series: Katie's 12 Days of Christmas: 2019 Edition [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Not Set in Remnant, F/M, Fluff, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21906685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelesteFitzgerald/pseuds/CelesteFitzgerald
Summary: Ruby Rose was going to change the world. She wasn’t entirely sure how yet, but she was young—she had plenty of time to work out the details. Until she could come up with a more solid plan, she’d settle for changing the world in smaller, more subtle ways.Most people wouldn’t consider working as a barista at a coffee shop to be a world-changing job, but Ruby was excited, nonetheless. She loved helping customers find the perfect drink to brighten their day—and on this particular day, the customer she got to help happened to be a very sweet young man.
Relationships: Oscar Pine/Ruby Rose
Series: Katie's 12 Days of Christmas: 2019 Edition [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1571077
Comments: 6
Kudos: 74





	Serving Smiles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SevenCandlesticks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevenCandlesticks/gifts).



Ruby Rose was going to change the world. She wasn’t entirely sure _how_ yet, but she was young—she had plenty of time to work out the details. Until she could come up with a more solid plan, she’d settle for changing the world in smaller, more subtle ways.

Most people wouldn’t consider working as a barista at a coffee shop to be a world-changing job, but Ruby was excited, nonetheless. She had sent in dozens of applications as soon as she had graduated from high school, and this was the first offer she had gotten. It was a busy job filled with tons of customers ranging from quietly polite to—honestly—straight up rude, but Ruby gave it her all every day.

She had even built up a bit of a reputation among the staff team. After only working there for a month, Ruby was already known as the fastest employee at the shop—and her enthusiasm was indestructible.

Some of the less cheerful employees would ask Ruby to take over the register for them whenever a particularly difficult regular customer entered the shop. Those rude customers may be able to break down the spirits of _some_ people, but by the time Ruby was done serving them, the customers would either accept defeat and take their coffee in silence, or—more times than not—get so fed up with Ruby’s bright voice that they’d just walk out of the shop altogether. It was those times when Ruby’s coworkers would high-five her and pat her on the back for finally getting those jerks out of their peaceful shop once and for all.

Most of the customers, though, were quite lovely. Several of them already knew Ruby by name and would ask her how her sister and dad were doing, to which Ruby would answer and ask about the customer’s own life. She liked to think that she was brightening their days. Even if it was only for a brief moment, it was still worth it.

On this particular day, a customer who Ruby didn’t recognize entered the shop. The customer was a boy who looked to be about Ruby’s age, maybe a little younger. He had very dark, slightly messy hair and hazel eyes. He rubbed his arm nervously as he approached the counter.

“Hello,” Ruby greeted him with a huge smile. “Welcome to Pleasant Aura Coffee Shop! What can I get started for you today?”

The boy looked up at Ruby. “Um, I’m not quite sure. What—”

“Oh! You can take your time looking over the menu—we’re not very busy right now, so you’ve got as much time as you need. And I can give you some suggestions if there’s a type of drink you have in mind,” Ruby said.

“Oh, thank you.” He looked up at the menu, so Ruby assumed that their conversation was over for the time being. She stepped back to let him think until he made eye contact.

“Actually,” he began, “I could use some help.”

“Well, that’s what I’m here for,” Ruby said, leaning against the counter. She almost gave him a finger gun but stopped herself just in time—Yang could pull that off, but she _couldn’t_.

Finally, the boy cracked a small smile. “This is a weird question, but do you have any drinks that, like…don’t have coffee in them?”

“We do—tons of ‘em,” Ruby said. “There’s hot chocolate, and tea if you’re into that—oh, and there’s a big list over here of some fruity drinks that are totally coffee-free.”

“Thank you. I must sound so odd coming into a coffee shop when I don’t even like coffee,” he said with a laugh. “It just tastes so…ugh.”

“Oh my _gosh_ , I know, _right_?” Ruby said, slamming her palms onto the counter and leaning toward him—then she remembered what her job was and lowered her voice. “Coffee is so bitter and strong and nasty,” she whispered. “I can only drink it when I pour, like, a whole cup of sugar in it.”

The boy laughed again, harder this time. “I’ll take a hot chocolate please.”

“Excellent choice,” Ruby said as she typed it into the register and told him how much it cost. “What name should I use for the order?”

“Oscar.”

“Oscar,” Ruby repeated to herself as she typed it in. “Okay, Oscar—you can take a seat, and I’ll bring your hot chocolate to you in a few minutes.”

After thanking her again, Oscar took a seat near the window and started staring out toward the street. Ruby watched him for a few seconds before pulling her gaze away and getting to work on his drink. She hummed to herself as she worked, drawing smiles from the two coworkers sharing the shop with her during this shift. She finished the hot chocolate a few minutes later, set it on a plate, and carried it over to Oscar’s table.

“Here you go, Oscar—one steaming hot chocolate,” Ruby said as she placed the mug on his table.

“Thank you, um,” his eyes flickered down to her nametag, “Ruby.”

“No problem!” she said as she turned to walk back to the counter.

“Uh, Ruby?”

“Yes?” She spun back around so fast that she almost lost her balance, but if Oscar noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“I was just wondering,” Oscar began, “why are you working at a coffee shop if you hate coffee so much?”

“Ah, heh-heh,” Ruby said, raising a hand to the back of her head. “You’re definitely not the first person who’s asked me that. I mean, getting money and experience is always good, but more importantly than that, the main reason that most people come to a coffee shop is for a pick-me-up when they’re feeling tired or grumpy or just yucky in general. And I get to be the person to help cheer them up! And I like helping people, so it all just kinda worked out.”

“Wow,” Oscar said. “I wasn’t expecting such a genuine answer to that question.”

“Oh—sorry!” Ruby squeaked.

“No—I mean, it’s good,” Oscar said. He smiled softly and looked down at his hot chocolate. “It’s actually really sweet that you like working here because you like helping people.”

Ruby’s eyes widened and she felt her face heat up at the compliment. “Thanks, but it’s not really anything special—I’m just doing whatever I can to make people’s lives better, one baby step at a time.”

“I disagree,” Oscar said. “I think that’s incredibly special for someone to want to make so much of a difference.”

For someone who looked so young, Oscar sure had an organized way of talking. “Thank you,” Ruby said, resting her hands on the table for a few more seconds before standing up straight again. “Well, I need to get back to the counter, so I’ll leave you alone to enjoy your hot chocolate,” she said.

“Okay,” Oscar said. “Do you…do you work here every day?”

“Almost every day. Why?”

“Just curious,” Oscar said. “Are you working tomorrow?”

“Yep! Same time as today,” Ruby said.

Oscar nodded. “I might try to stop by again—if that’s okay with you.”

Ruby’s face quickly spread into a smile. “That sounds fantastic.”


End file.
